In this section, the following description merely provides information regarding the background of embodiments, and does not constitute the conventional art.
A camera module may be mounted in an automobile for various purposes. For example, an automobile may be provided at the rear part thereof with a camera module for securing a visual field at the rear of the automobile when the automobile is parked.
In addition, a camera module may also be used in a black box for automobiles, which is very useful in retracing the details of a traffic accident, including the cause of the accident. Furthermore, a camera module has been increasingly used as a recognition device for easily and clearly recognizing the situation in a blind spot, which a driver or a passenger in an automobile cannot easily check with the naked eye.
In recent years, smart cars, i.e. automobiles each equipped with a collision warning system for warning of the possibility of a collision in front of the automobile or to the rear of the automobile while the automobile is being driven or a collision avoidance system for directly avoiding a collision between the automobile and other automobiles running beside the automobile under the control of a controller mounted in the automobile, rather than based on the driving of a driver, have been increasingly manufactured, and related technologies have been increasingly developed.
A camera module has been increasingly used as a means for recognizing the situation outside such a smart car. As a result, camera modules for automobiles have been increasingly developed and manufactured.
The camera module for automobiles may include a plurality of printed circuit boards (PCBs), which may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.
Parts or devices, such as an image sensor, a condenser, a rectifier, and a transformer, having predetermined volumes, may be mounted in, installed in, or coupled to the respective boards. As a result, a predetermined distance is provided between the respective boards. For this reason, it is necessary to provide a device for keeping the distance between the respective boards uniform even when external impact or vibration is applied to the camera module.
In general, coupling members, such as bolts or screw nails, may be used to dispose the respective boards in the camera module at uniform intervals. However, holes, through which the coupling members are to be inserted, must be formed in the respective boards in order to use the coupling members. As a result, the size of the space in each of the boards, in which parts, devices, and circuits are mounted or formed, may be reduced.
In addition, when the coupling members are used, the boards may be damaged or bent during the assembly of the camera module due to pressure applied from the coupling members, with the result that the camera module may be incorrectly assembled.